During its eight month’s ’Save Democracy Campaign’ in Gujarat Anhad has continually faced threats and intimidation by BJP supportors

Anhad organised a programme at Dakshini chawk, Mani Nagar yesterday. Young speakers( Manoj Sharma, Sachin Pandya, Manisha Trivedi and Dev Desai) from Anhad and Mallika sarabhai and Digant Oza spoke at the programme , also Darpana academy performed and Gauhar Raza recited his poetry, young singers including Sanjay, Sanjay Sharma, Vinita , Zulekhan, Keshubhai sang movement songs. Speaker after speaker totally exposed the myth of vibrant gujarat and the condition of women in gujarat. Exhibitions on the status of women, legacy of the freedom struggle, indian constituion and composite culture were displayed at the venue. We were threatened during the day by BJP supporters that they won’t let us organise anything at the spot. Despite the threats and misbehaviour we went ahead . Even the P[olice] I[nspector] incharge came and misbehaved with one of our colleagues.

Anhad during its eight month’s ’Save Democracy Campaign’ in Gujarat has constantly confronted the atmosphere of fear and has spoken out fearlessly against the forces of hatred.

We have sent a complaint to the election commission and will be sending a complaint to the police commissioner tomorrow. please find below the complaint which has been filed.

 Shabnam Hashmi
 1914, Karanjwala Building
 Opp Khnapur Darwaza
 Khanpur
 Ahmedabad
 079-25500844

December 9, 2007

The Chief Election Officer
 Gujarat

Dear Sir,

Anhad started its Save Democracy Campaign in Gujarat eight months ago and since then has organized major programmes across the 25 districts of Gujarat.

On December 8, 2007 we organised a Youth Convention and a Cultural Programme as part of this Save Democracy Campaign from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at the Dakshini Chawk, Near Raliway Underbridge, Mani Nagar. We had taken the permission to use the space from the concerned department and a police permission was taken from the local police as well as from the special branch.

Yesterday between 11 and 11.30am Sanjay Sharma, Sachin Pandya and I (Shabnam Hashmi) went to the site at Dakshini Chawk to tell the decorator who was building the stage, the place to construct the stage and supervise other arrangements.

We had the leaflets of our programme with us. Around 11.10 am a man in white Maruti came. Inside the car there was a BJP angvastra, which was hanging on the mirror. We were later informed that he was Parag Naik, the husband of the local counsellor.

He took a leaflet and tore it and threw it on the floor. All of us were absolutely shocked as he started shouting and used highly abusive and objectionable language against me and threatened me that he will not let anyone do a programme at that site. He also said that he will see how any decorator puts up a stage or gives sound system to us.

Later in the day despite the threats we went ahead and made the stage and fixed the sound system.

In the afternoon the PI came to the spot , one of our colleagues was there. He asked very rudely what time the programme was going to begin and end and what was going to happen. Then he said ’agar kuch bhi lafda hua to tum sab ko dekh loonga’. My colleague objected to his behaviour and said that we had taken the permission, which he dismissed and again said,’ ek ek ko band kar doonga.’

I am a member of the National Integration Council. Aproximately 20 people from the civil society from all over India are nominated to the NIC which works under the Home Ministry, Central Govt and has the Prime Minister as its head. If I can be intimidated and misbehaved with during broad day light in Mani Nagar and if this is the way the PI behaves, who is supposed to protect the citizens then what must be the condition of ordinary people who do not want to tow the present State Govt’s and Sangh’s line.

I request you to depute enough force in the Mani Nagar constituency so that ordinary people can vote without fear.

Yours sincerely

Shabnam Hashmi
 Member, National Integration Council
 Managing Trustee, Anhad